


Cooking with Cas

by emani-writes (Thrsdynxt)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bunker, Cas cooking, Comfort, Fluff, Human Benny, Human Castiel, M/M, Minor Angst, Sick Dean, alternative universe - ish, disgusting soup, doesn't really fall anywhere in any real timeline, sick benny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 17:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9776264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thrsdynxt/pseuds/emani-writes
Summary: Dean and Benny are sick. Newly human Cas tries his hand at soup from scratch to make them feel better. It goes about as well as you’d expect.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the February FandomWritingChallenge on tumblr. Prompt was soup.
> 
> Apparently, I posted this twice. Oops.

This shouldn’t be so damn hard, he mused as the pot of his attempt at homemade chicken stock boiled over. Again. Cas had watched Benny cooking and even Dean on occasion. And while Benny always suggested that Dean’s methods were sometimes rather unorthodox, Cas felt both men, in their own way, made the whole process look easy. Even effortless.

Lies.

Would it kill one of them to write a recipe down every now and again? Cas tried to cut the pink, sticky chicken pieces into cubes to put in with the broth, but the knife he’d chosen was doing a better job of mangling and mashing the pieces than the sharp, precise cuts Benny always managed.

Too bad both Cas and Dean had been forbidden to use Benny’s good knives, like, forever ago. 

Cas growled, swiping at his forehead with his bare forearm at the tickle of sweat dripping there. Being human was awful. It hadn’t even been a week ago that Benny had made fresh, homemade chicken soup when Cas had been down with the flu. Dean had made him pot after pot of tea with Cas’ favorite locally sourced honey while Benny had fed him first broth and then a fuller, more robust soup as Cas’ rebelling stomach had settled back into normalcy. It was endearing and sweet and Cas couldn’t even put into words how much he’d appreciated his lovers’ efforts when he’d been so sick. 

And what had Dean and Benny earned for all their hard work and tender devotion? Cas’ flu bug times two. 

If only he still had his grace.

Cas felt terribly guilty and was determined to show the two most important people in his life the same level of care they had shown him. Which was why he was wrestling pans and knives and chicken breasts in the kitchen with only the vaguest assumption of what the final product was supposed to look like. Admittedly, he had been quite out of it when he’d been fed Benny’s version, but he was pretty sure the green bits had been broccoli - or was that asparagus - with some carrots and three large onions and heavy cream? Well, it was in the fridge. 

He did know for a fact that broth was made from bones. Even in what had turned out to be a fever dream, he distinctly remembered hearing Benny talk about using chicken bones to make the broth. Cas stirred again, giving the chicken bones a few good flicks before dumping in his pile of mashed chicken. Calling it anything resembling a cube was too great a lie for even Cas to claim to himself. 

The pot quickly returned to a rolling boil. It seemed as good a time as any to plop in the rest of the ingredients and Cas stirred away happily at his concoction just as padded feet shuffled into the kitchen. Dean’s grunt of concern caused Cas to start and he turned to Dean who seemed intently focused on the smoke detector laying on the bunker’s small kitchen table with the batteries removed. That had happened after the first time the pot boiled over, pesky thing.

“Dean!” Cas admonished, using his kitchen towel to shoo at the pale, bleary-eyed man sporting an old, rumpled t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair stood in disarray and his arms were wrapped around his upper body even as he shivered. Cas grabbed his arm gently and steered him back toward their bed. “What are you doing out of bed, Dean? I said I would take care of you.”

Dean stumbled along, teeth clattering at a particularly fierce chill. He tried to rasp out a reply, gasping around the words. Dean swallowed roughly, sitting as Cas pushed him back into bed. Grabbing Dean’s empty water glass, Cas rushed to the bathroom to fill it. He returned quickly and tipped Dean’s head back, holding the glass against his parched lips. Dean drank greedily, sighing when Cas finally took the cup away.

“There,” Cas declared, setting the glass down on the side table and pulling the covers up over Dean. Benny was still sleeping rather fitfully on the other side of the bed, a big arm thrown over his stubbled face and drool running down his cheek. Cas returned his gaze to a slowly blinking Dean. “Now you need to stay in bed, Dean, and let me take care of everything. I’m making some soup for you and Benny and it should be ready soon.”

Dean’s brows puckered at that announcement but quickly smoothed out and Dean nodded clumsily, his hazy green eyes falling closed and a soft snore escaping before Cas had even made it to the doorway. 

Cas nodded. Things were as they should be. He turned and returned to the kitchen. 

Sam, who had been actively hiding from the three men for the last week to “avoid contamination”, was standing at the stove. He squinted, stirring cautiously at the soup Cas had been working on for the better part of the morning. When he heard Cas’ footsteps, Sam shot him an incredulous look and Cas bristled. 

“Hello, Sam,” Cas said, the slightest hint of annoyance coloring his tone. 

“Uh.. hey, Cas,” Sam replied, dropping the spoon back into the pot and stepping aside when Cas pressed in beside him in front of the stove. “What.. ah. Whatcha making?”

Cas shot Sam a reproving glare, picking up his wooden spoon and giving it a rather forceful stir. “What does it look like, Sam?” He lifted a spoonful of broth to his lips and took a quick taste, turning his back to Sam to hide the grimace he made at the flavor. Salt. He had most certainly forgotten the salt.

He turned to the cabinet where Benny kept the spices neatly labeled and started sorting through. Sam watched him intently as Cas threw a hearty dash of salt into the pot, along with some dill for good measure. Cas could feel his shoulders creeping up to his ears at the measured stare. 

Grabbing the kettle, Cas filled it quickly and put it atop a burner before turning toward Sam, arms crossed defensively.

“What?” he demanded with a scowl.

Sam’s eyes went wide and he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Whoa, man, nothing. Sorry.” He glanced over at the towering pile of dishes in the sink, to the splattered stove, and back to Cas. Sam winced and Cas’ eyes narrowed. “It’s just..”

Cas growled. “Just what, Sam?”

Sam eyed the bubbling pot once more. “I mean, what… Do you even have a recipe?”

Sniffing, Cas turned moodily back to his soup. Bits and blobs of roughly cut vegetables floated along the top, rolling around in a furiously boiling broth. Cas studied his soup a long moment. He thought he’d been doing alright so far, remembering what Benny had made, though now that Sam had sort of pointed it out, Cas realized something was missing.

Noodles. Brightening considerably, Cas opened the pantry cabinet, digging around until he found a box of macaroni and cheese. He pulled it out, tearing open the top and dumping in the contents. Sam watched in horror as Cas then dug the powdered cheese packet out of the boiling mess, contemplating just a moment before shrugging, tearing it open, and dumping it in, too. 

Cas stirred happily at having remembered that final ingredient, whistling to himself before he noticed Sam standing horror-struck. He put his hands on his hips.

“Honestly, Sam. What?”

Sam’s mouth worked uselessly before he seemed to shake himself. His brows drew down heavily over his eyes as he watched Cas a long moment. He finally blinked, shaking his head. “You know what? Good on you, Cas. Forget I even said anything.” 

Cas beamed at Sam’s newfound approval of his cooking endeavors and reached for the spoon. “Great. Would you like some, Sam? It should be just about done and I’ve made plen-.”

“Whoa!” Sam nearly shouted, pushing himself up off the counter and holding his hands out in front of him to forestall Cas’ attempt to make him taste the broth. “No, man, I’m all good.” Sam forced a grimacing smile. “Wouldn’t want to take away from your, ah, patients in there.”

Cas cocked his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sam. I’ve made more than enough.”

Sam winced, clenching his jaw tight. He nodded at Cas even as he began backing his way slowly out the door. “I appreciate it, really. But you know how I am about carbs.” He rested a big hand across his flannel covered stomach and Cas nodded. Sam’s face flashed with relief before he smiled, eyes crinkled in amusement. “Well, I certainly hope they appreciate your efforts, Cas.” He tossed a thumb over his shoulder. “I.. uh. I’m just gonna go… research.” And he bolted from the room. 

Cas nearly called after him but the kettle whistled then. He pulled it from the burner, pouring the steaming water into two waiting mugs and dropping in a few scoops each of a loose leaf tea Benny prefered. The leaves slowly settled into the water, swirling slowly as they steeped. 

Grabbing two bowls, Cas scooped out two generous portions of soup, setting them on a serving tray. He then grabbed a spoon, digging around in the tea mugs and scooping out as much of the floating leaves as he could before slopping in a large spoonful of honey and giving each mug a stir. Arranging both teas on the tray, Cas tossed down two spoons and picked the tray up, gingerly making his way back toward the room he shared with Dean and Benny.

He pushed in, padding quietly and smiling at Benny who was sitting up in the bed, a snoring Dean curled around his hip. A big hand pet at sandy brown hair while the other scrubbed through stubble.

Benny jutted his chin at the tray. “Wha’s all that, darlin’?” he drawled sleepily, hazy blue eyes blinking at the cloudy soup swirling around. Heavy eyebrows knitted together as he studied the concoction before he rose a cautious glance toward a fidgeting Cas.

He tilted his head back to look at Cas properly, tongue darting out to wet his lip. His gaze darted down once more before settling back on Cas. “Been busy, sweetheart?”

Cas flashed a small, shy smile and sat down on the bed beside Benny’s covered knee. He looked at the tray of soup before his gaze dropped to the floor. “I, uh. I wanted to take care of you, both of you.” Shy blue matched steady blue and Cas flushed. 

Smiling softly, Benny reached out and grasped Cas’ hand from the bedspread, squeezing gently. 

“Thank you, darlin’,” he said seriously, eyes intent. He let go of Cas and reached for a bowl, pulling his hand away from Dean to stir the proffered spoon through the mixture. Benny lifted up a spoonful, eyeing it critically before letting it plop back into the bowl with a small splash. His gaze returned to Cas who haunched low under the pressure. 

“Cas..”

Cas’ growl cut him off. “Is it really that bad?”

Grimacing, Benny set the bowl down before motioning to Cas and pulling the frustrated man up against him to rest on his big chest. 

Benny pressed a kiss to Cas’ wild, black hair. “We sure appreciate the thought, darlin’.”

Cas groaned and buried his face into Benny’s side, pinching at Benny when he started laughing. Benny jerked away from Cas, grabbing at his hand and jostling Dean who grumbled before rolling over and snoring once more.

Pouting, Cas rested his chin on Benny’s chest and stared up at him petulantly. “Sam seemed apprehensive as well.” His scowl deepened. “What did I do wrong?”

Benny cast a forlorn glance at the slowly congealing mess and sighed. “Not sure I quite know everything.”

Cas poked him again and he slapped his hand away. “None of that, now. I guess the most glaring issue is the chicken.”

Rearing up, Cas scoffed. “What about the chicken? I cut it up like you did.”

Benny’s eyes crinkled. “Yeah, darlin’, but did you even cook it?”

A dark flush stole over Cas’ cheeks. Benny bit his lip suppressing a smirk, glancing again at the bowl. He squinted, looking intently. “Is..? Cas, sweetheart, did you leave the bone in it?”

Glancing where Benny was looking, Cas scowled, sitting up and throwing his hands up in frustration. “That’s how you said you made the broth for me last week,” he accused, jabbing a finger and crossing his arms over his chest.

Benny nodded slowly. “Yeah, but then you gotta strain ‘em out.” A hand rubbed circles on his back, but Cas remained stiff and radiating embarrassment. “It’s all right, darling. You didn’t know.” 

Cas blinked, his eyes suddenly hot and aching. He clenched his fists in his lap. 

“I hate this,” he whispered fiercely, so low he wasn’t sure Benny could hear him. He looked to the other man with beseeching eyes. “Being human is awful. How? How do you do it day in and day out?” Benny opened his mouth to respond but Cas waved a hand around, effectively silencing him. “Being hungry and tired and aroused and, and, and sick? I’m not good at any of this.”

Benny sniffed, reaching out to pull Cas into his chest once more. “It ain’t all bad, darlin’. Not all those feelings are awful. Horny’s kinda fun.” He gave Cas a squeeze. “Sides, you don’t have to be good at it, Cas. Tha’s what Dean an’ I are here for. To help you through it.”

“But you’re sick,” Cas wailed, despair overwhelming him in a way it never had when he’d had his grace.

Benny shushed into his hair, rocking him softly until he calmed. “Yeah, we’re sick, darlin’, but we won’t always be. This’ll pass if you give it a little time.”

“I could have healed you both if I still had my grace.”

“Stop it,” a sleepy voice husked from Benny’s other side. Cas’ head shot up to see a rumpled, grumpy looking Dean glaring at him.

“Ain’t nothing for it, Cas. If you still had your grace we all wouldn’t be here.” Cas moved to interrupt but Dean’s scowl stopped him short. “No. It’s done. It’s fine. We’re fine. Or at least we will be. Now shut up and climb over here to keep me warm. We’ll send Sammy out on a food run later cuz I’ll be damned if I’m eating that shit.” Dean’s nose crinkled in disgust. “Looks like pantry threw up.” Then he flopped over gracelessly, facing away from Benny and Cas and tugging the covers up to his ear. He turned, slightly, eyeing them both over his shoulder. “Well?”

Cas and Benny shared a look, Benny smirking and Cas rolling his eyes. He climbed carefully over Benny, tucking up behind Dean who sighed contentedly even as Benny moved in behind Cas. Cas nuzzled Dean’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Dean,” he murmured. “I just wanted to take care of you-”

“What do you think you’re doin’? Jeez, Cas. Even I only make soup from a can.”

Cas froze. “It comes in a can?”

Dean snorted and Benny shook behind him with suppressed laughter. 

Sighing heavily, Dean shook his head. “We’ll send Sam later. Sleep now,” he said groggily, almost immediately falling into snores.

Benny squeezed Cas once before relaxing into the bed in sleep. Cas kissed Dean’s head and followed.

**Author's Note:**

> I am emani-writes on tumblr. Come say hello!


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